Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)

38% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(179,326 ratings)

Maindrian Pace (H.B. Halicki) is a master car thief who heads an elaborate organization of professionals. Using an insurance investigation company as a front, Pace and his associates buy junked cars from accident scenes, steal new autos of the same model and color, then switch the serial numbers for… More Maindrian Pace (H.B. Halicki) is a master car thief who heads an elaborate organization of professionals. Using an insurance investigation company as a front, Pace and his associates buy junked cars from accident scenes, steal new autos of the same model and color, then switch the serial numbers for resale. It's a lucrative business, but when some shady characters offer them 400,000 dollars to deliver 50 specific luxury vehicles, the challenge is too much to pass up. The burglars put on disguises and waste no time in lifting limousines, official racecars, and Rolls-Royces (even stopping by a television studio to steal actor Lyle Waggoner's convertible). When Pace discovers that a recently stolen Cadillac has a million dollars worth of heroin in the trunk, he destroys the car and the drugs, which infuriates his adversarial partner, Eugene (Jerry Daugirda). Just as Pace is stealing a bright yellow Mustang (code-named Eleanor), the Los Angeles police department gives chase, tipped off by Eugene's anonymous call. This leads to the meat of the film, a wild 40-minute pursuit which takes Pace and the police through five cities and leads to the destruction of 93 cars. Gone in 60 Seconds was a big hit for first time director/writer/producer/star H.B. Halicki, and inspired a big-budget remake in 2000. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: H.B. Halicki
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Cult Movies

In Theaters: Jul 28, 1974 Wide
On DVD: Nov 28, 2000
Studio: H.B. Halicki Mercantile Co.

Critic Reviews

Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Amateurish, badly acted and shot on the cheap (many sequences don't even have sync sound), this cult item features a 40-minute car chase (almost half the film's running time) that's nothing short of breathtaking.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Has much more of an electrifying energy, and intelligence than the remake does...
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Provides some thrills, but too often it feels as if the film's transmission is stuck in neutral.
, Time Out
It's a pity that it had to descend into such routine carnage.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Halicki may know car chases, but he doesn't really know anything about dramatic filmmaking
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
The car wrecks pile up to boredom before the end.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
The 40-minute car chase ... is one wild ride. The rest of the film, however, is sorely lacking.

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jeff "

The classic Gone in 60 Seconds is a decent car chase film, but its nothing that great to be honest. The film is memorable of course for the car chase scene that spans half the film, and features the destruction of 93 cars. The film though entertaining, lacks anything really intriguing… More
The classic Gone in 60 Seconds is a decent car chase film, but its nothing that great to be honest. The film is memorable of course for the car chase scene that spans half the film, and features the destruction of 93 cars. The film though entertaining, lacks anything really intriguing about the plot. The acting is average, and it's nothing great. The films plot is very thin, and not elaborate. I felt that this film was entertaining, but it was also sloppy in its style. I can applaud the effort of the crew for attempting this low budget film, and it pays off slightly. Bur like I said, the film lacks effective material to really make it a stellar film. I mean, they could've added more depth to the overall plot. That's my biggest beef with the film, its lack of effective plot development. I guess with that aside, there's a cool little film to enjoy. But it's flawed, and overall there are better car chase films than this film. After seeing the famous chase, I wasn't really in awe. I still think the most legendary car chase is the one in Bullitt. For what it is, Gone in 60 Seconds is an impressive low budget car chase film, and there are lots of cool cars. However the film lacks in effective plot development and acting. The film can be summarized as such, the thieves get together and get their list of cars they need to steal and after they start to steal the cars, then there's the famous chase, and the end credits. Not too much substance. But decent, mindless fun, if this is your type of film.
Mister C

Believe me when I tell you this...the 2000 version with Angelina Jolie and Nicholas Cage doesn't even come close. The 2000 remake of this was a piece of CGI garbage compared to the original from 1974. The original movie "Gone in 60 Seconds" is an amazing ode to the… More
Believe me when I tell you this...the 2000 version with Angelina Jolie and Nicholas Cage doesn't even come close. The 2000 remake of this was a piece of CGI garbage compared to the original from 1974. The original movie "Gone in 60 Seconds" is an amazing ode to the American muscle car and an era of filmmaking that is long since past. The stunts in this movie were real and during the filming of this some people were seriously injured and almost killed during the making of this movie. And speaking of its infamous chase scene,"Gone in 60 Seconds" ranks right up there with "Bullitt",and "The French Connection" as one of the greatest car chase movies ever made. This movie contains something that the remake doesn't,ACTUAL CAR CHASES. The stunts in this movie were 100% real,and a good majority of the scenes were UNSCRIPTED where H.B. Halicki did not only the producing and directing,but did his own stunt driving in this movie in which 95% of the actors along with the local police,paramedics,and pedestrians that were REALLY running for their very lives. The most infamous scene was the car chase through the streets of the city where a total of 93 cars were destroyed during the making of it. Some of the auto stunts(including Halicki's driving scenes)were nothing short of amazing where the entire second half of the film(which is 45 minutes long)is devoted to one single car chase. The climax of the film is a brilliant car chase through the city between a suped-up 1973 Mustang(driven by Halicki) and every cop and state trooper in hot pursuit. Nothing short of amazing. "Gone in 60 Seconds" did not have a major film studio backing in,since it was produced independently,and went on to become a HUGE boxoffice hit that was a success within the drive-in theatre crowd.
Richard C

fun. B
Justin Y

H.B. Halicki, the car crash king, writes, directs, and stars his way into stardom, with a car chase film, known as Gone in 60 Seconds.The plot has a lot of potential, in which it deals with the stealing of 48 cars in only a few days. The problem here is… More
H.B. Halicki, the car crash king, writes, directs, and stars his way into stardom, with a car chase film, known as Gone in 60 Seconds.The plot has a lot of potential, in which it deals with the stealing of 48 cars in only a few days. The problem here is that there isn't enough explanation for the plot or buildup for the characters. It almost seems like something to just past the time until the finale. Still, it is quite interesting. The pacing is moderate and Halicki utilizes a lot of narration dialogue, where the characters are talking while the screen is showing something else.The most memorable and popular segments of this movie are the car chases. There are a couple small ones in the first half of the film, including one that involves a tow truck. It is the big one at the end that deserves an applause. Remember how I mentioned that the story feels like something to pass the time? Well, this film is about an hour and 40 minutes. At just before the 1 hour mark, the story goes away and it is 1 long car chase until the end credits appear. We're talking about a 30-40 minute car chase. Supposedly, there were 93 cars destroyed in this picture, which comes out to nearly 1 car a minute. There are no special effects either, as it is all real stunt work.The acting is OK at best, with George Cole giving the best performance.Gone in 60 Seconds is a film for fans of car chases. Nothing more and nothing less. On a quick note, the opening segment is mimicked in another film ... Kill Bill.
Cassandra M

The original "Gone In 60 Seconds" will be remembered by many viewers as the best car-chase film of all time. It will also be remembered as the film that featured lots of destroyed cars in a 40 minute chase. As said in the film's IMDb trivia: "93 cars are crashed in… More
The original "Gone In 60 Seconds" will be remembered by many viewers as the best car-chase film of all time. It will also be remembered as the film that featured lots of destroyed cars in a 40 minute chase. As said in the film's IMDb trivia: "93 cars are crashed in this 97 minute movie." The best part of this whole movie is the 40-minute chase scene. So many cars are crashed and destroyed during the chase, including original city police cars. What's more, the chase scene had absolutely NO special effects, meaning that all the crashes and smashes were real. Furthermore, H.B. Halicki himself wrote, directed, and starred in the movie. He even drove the "star car" (the Mustang) throughout the chase! My only negative comment about the film is that the beginning of the movie is very slow; so slow that you may be very eager to get to the 40-minute chase scene. However, if you have the DVD, you can just watch the film starting from the chase scene if you want to. Overall, this movie had an awesome chase scene. It is the best chase scene ever filmed in a movie. It has to be seen to be believed. P.S: This movie is much much better than the awful remake.
Roy G

he 40-minute car chase ... is one wild ride. The rest of the film, however, is sorely lacking.
Curtis L

not memorable.
Aliyanto L

Good but not too good enough to explore Cage's play!
Khris N

For all car crash lovers - this movie is KING. Personal Fav.- car theives, expensive cars, a tiger and a 40 minute car chase - need i say more?
Fascade F

Incredible race against time..Nicholas Cage tries at every attempt to save his brother's life using a very hot classic Mustang...A sure fire hit...must not miss!
kawai d

Only watch this for the Shelby at the end.
jason d

i had no idea what was going on for about half of this movie.
Rose G

love those fast cars!